About Addison Elementary School

Our History

Addison Elementary School opened its doors for the first time in August, 1988. The school was named for
Cobb County educator and businessman, Walter Pinkney (W. P.) Addison. Addison became Georgia's first Charter
School in 1995. Subsequent Charter renewals in 1998 and 2003 have ensured high academic achievement for all Addison students.

W. P. Addison was an educator and a successful businessman. He was a man of vision with a strong
commitment to excellence in all that he did. In the mid 1920's, the only schools in Cobb County were a few one-room school
houses scattered over the county. Mr. Addison wanted a better educational system for his own children as well as all children
throughout the county.

He contacted other prominent businessmen of the county and proposed that a new consolidated
school be built. It was to be a school that housed a classroom and a teacher for each grade. Buses would be
used to transport children to the school.

The idea was very novel and somewhat radical for that time. Many nay-sayers insisted
that parents would never put their children on a bus and allow
them to ride several miles to school. In spite of the
skeptics, Mr. Addison persisted. He worked with other
businessmen of the community to secure funding and he donated
the land for the school. The land was just north of his
home place on the Canton Highway. The school buses were
purchased. For several months, Mr. Addison and Mr. Arch
McCleskey, Sr. (namesake for McCleskey Middle School) traveled
throughout the state interviewing teachers for the new
consolidated school. They wanted the most qualified
teachers available to teach the children.

Blackwell's Consolidated School (as it was originally called) was finally built.
The school first opened for the summer term on July 18, 1927 in an
attractive red brick building. The original building had
eight classrooms and an auditorium. Each room had a coal
burning stove for heat. There were no indoor restrooms,
nor was there a lunchroom

By the late 1940's, two more buildings had been added to the school grounds: a Home
Economics building and an Agriculture building which included a
cannery. Indoor bathrooms had also been added. There
was a girls' bathroom at the end of the right side of
the building and a boys' bathroom at the end of the left side of
the building. The first lunchroom program was started in
1952 in the Agricultural building.

Mr. Addison suffered a stroke in later years and was left with a significant speech
impediment. However, his positive spirit and quest for
excellence never diminished. In 1978, Blackwell Elementary
celebrated its 50th anniversary and Mr. Addison spoke eloquently
at the program.